Polyisoprene has been recognized as an important class of rubber materials for the automotive industry since its first application in 1917. It contains many double bonds in the polymer backbone, which allows further functionalization or chemical modifications. Polyisoprene has been prepared by anionic, cationic, and radical polymerizations. Few people have reported the polymerization of isoprene or other related butadiene-based monomers in a controlled manner.
The properties of rubber materials can be adjusted through the inclusion of inorganic nanoparticles, such as silica nanoparticles. However, the incompatibility between inorganic nanoparticles and an organic matrix normally leads to large agglomerates of the inorganic nanoparticles within the polymer matrix.
As such, a need exists for improved rubber-based nanocomposites with good dispersion of nanoparticles at both high and low nanoparticle loading.